Donations needed: A service dog would help York student manage painful mystery illness

Hannah Mong, who suffers from chronic pain and dizziness, has created a GoFundMe page to help with the overwhelming cost of a service dog.
Jason Plotkin, York Daily Record

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Hannah Mong of Hellam, seen here working one of her three jobs at Kirkland's, is hoping to replace her cane with a service dog. Dealing with a chronic pain issue for the past three years, the full-time Penn State York student has started a GoFundMe page to help raise the $10,000 needed to make this happen.(Photo: Jason Plotkin, York Daily Record)Buy Photo

“I couldn’t even stand up off the couch without crying most of the time,” said Mong, now a senior at Penn State York studying developmental biology and genetics.

But, three years later, doctors still don’t know what’s causing her pain.

And, it’s getting worse.

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"They are able to predict flares, so they know before I know when I am going to be feeling bad," said Hannah Mong, 21 a full-time Penn State York student, who has started a GoFundMe page to help raise the $10,000 need to purchase a service dog to help with her medical condition.(Photo: Jason Plotkin, York Daily Record)

Usually a flare-up lasts about four weeks, she said. But her latest one has been going on for about two months.

She gets lightheaded if she stands too long, and her knees sometimes give out unexpectedly.

Just walking from her bedroom to the bathroom some days is difficult, she said.

The service dog training process takes about two years, and it isn’t cheap, Mong said. A fully trained service dog will cost about $10,000.

But, when they’re finished training, the dog will be able to predict flare-ups and alert her when to start taking medication to ease the pain.

The dog would also be trained to help her get from point A to point B and alert someone if she falls.

“It would mean a sense of independence,” Mong said. “I would be able to complete daily tasks without requiring those around me to take time out of their day to help me.”

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Hannah Mong speaks to her class at Penn State York about her need to purchase a service dog to help with her medical condition. The Hellam full-time student, who also works three jobs, has started a GoFundMe page to raise $10,000 for the dog. (Photo: Jason Plotkin, York Daily Record)

So far, Mong has spent $500 to start the training process, and she’ll need to raise the rest of the money by the time the dog is trained.

Even though Mong will have graduated and left Penn State York by the time she gets the dog, Petko said she hopes that spreading the word about the fundraiser now will give Mong the hope and strength she needs to make it through the rest of the school year and graduate in the spring.

After that, she plans to go to graduate school to study epigenetics.

“She’s one determined young lady,” Petko said. “I think she’ll make it in research.”